E-textbooks are slowly gaining popularity among students on campuses everywhere. Understandably, the transition from traditional books to e-books has been a complicated process. From publishes to schools to students, there are steps everyone must take to start using the new technology.
But, as these steps are taken and e-books become a more popular solution, there are all kinds of things to consider and all kinds of benefits that students will reap.
More Affordable School Supplies
Textbooks are notoriously expensive and every semester, students face big bills at the bookstore. Knowing this, one of the biggest questions on students' minds is, "Are e-textbooks more affordable than traditional books?" The answer is that yes, they can be. Depending on the publisher, author and of course, the specific book, e-textbooks can be much more affordable than regular books.
The reason behind this is that instead of having to print books (which is expensive considering all the products and people needed), e-textbooks only need to be formatted once. Of course, students have the one-time cost of purchasing a device to view their books on.
A Lighter Load
Students often find themselves hauling several books around campus. Obviously, this is a pain but it can also do damage to a person's back. With e-books, students no longer have to fill their bags with heavy books. Instead, all they'll have to carry around is a single gadget and they'll have all their books on hand. In fact, many books can be viewed on a laptop, meaning students can have their books, the Internet and their homework all available at once, with one tool.
More Interactive Learning
As e-textbooks become more popular with schools and students, they way they are produced may evolve. Many books already have interactive tables of contents and slide shows. But, the full power of electronic books has yet to be discovered. For example, future e-textbooks may include interactive quizzes, charts and more audio and visual components. This will have an impact on the way students learn and study and maybe even make it possible for students to have more information in digestible forms at their fingerprints.
E-textbooks have the potential to open new doors for college students. As more and more campus become more open to e-books, students will likely notice these changes. They provide a more affordable way to buy class supplies, a more convenient way to travel and they could change they way students learn and study.
Author Bio
Jill Hardy writes for BestOnlineCollege.org, a website that can help students find and enroll in associates, bachelors and online masters programs.
